Shuttle guide



April 13, 1 4 w. H. WAKEFIELD SHUTTLE GUIDE 2 Sheets-Sheetv 1 Filed March 30, 1953 INVENTOR WALT ER H. WAKEFIELD ATTORNEY April 13, 1954 w. H. WAKEFIELD SHUTTLE GUIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 50, 1955 I 311w m FIGS 43 42 FIG. \a.a.g.is.a. .a.

BE "'M's'a WM SB%BEIEIQELGE'IZA 2 rill/l a I I so a"! D L E w Patented Apr. 13, 1954 SHUTTLE GUIDE Walter H. Wakefield, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 30, 1953, Serial No. 345,453

This invention relates to guide means for gripper shuttles of the type used in looms operating with outside stationary weft supplies and it is the general object of the invention to provide a guide means so constructed as to prevent the weft thread from coming in contact with the bottom warp shed.

Certain types of looms operating with stationary weft supplies employ thread guides which move into the warp shed to provide a temporary path for the shuttle and then move out of the shed to permit beat-up operation. The guides are provided with shuttle guiding holes from which a thread slot extends to permit egress of the weft thread in the slot by the beat-up reed. When the guides are introduced into the warp shed there is the likelihood that certain of the Warp threads will enter the thread slots and be improperly lifted by that part of the guide at the bottom of the shuttle guide hole therein. In order to prevent this it has been proposed heretofore to provide each guide with a downwardly extending slot to receive a Warp thread which happens to enter the weft thread slot. As made in the past however the thread slots have all been aligned with each other across the loom and the result of this construction is that the thread laid by the shuttle can fall into the slots and rest on and in frictional contact with the bottom warp shed which prevents the thread from being moved lengthwise by a tensioning mechanism, or by a filling stop motion should the thread be broken.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a guide means for a gripper shuttle having guide plates formed with aligned holes defining a shuttle guideway and having also slots extending downwardly from the holes to receive warp threads, but wherein the slots of some of the guide plates are in a rear position while slots of the other guide plates are in a front position, so that those parts of the guide plates which support the shuttle and weft thread in the guideway, some in front of and others behind slots, can keep the thread from falling into the slots and onto the bottom warp shed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the guide means with a plurality of groups or" guide plates, certain of the groups having their Warp thread receiving slots arranged in alignment lengthwise of the guideway with shuttle and weft thread supporting parts of guide plates of other groups. In this feature of the invention the groups made with plates of one type may alternate with groups made with the other type 9 Claims. (01. 139-488) of slots, but such alternation is not essential. When the groups are made as described the manufacture of them is simplified since all the guide plates of a group will be alike.

It is a further object of the invention to provide each guide plate of the guide means with a shuttle and weft thread supporting edge aligned in back and forth direction with the upwardly opening mouth of a Warp thread receiving slot. and provide for arranging the guide plates so that some of their thread receiving mouths are forward and others are rearward, the mouths of certain at least of the plates always aligning lengthwise of the guideway with shuttle and Weft thread supportin edges of some of the other guide plates.

When a loom is provided with a guidemeans as set forth herein, the Weft thread which is laid in the guideway by the shuttle Will be supported by the edges of the guide plates above and out of engagement with the warp threads and can therefore be moved crosswise of the loom by a very light force such as might be exerted by a filling fork at one side of the loom.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example two embodiments of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through part of a loom equipped with. a thread guide made accordin to the preferred form of the invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view, parts being broken away, looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig.1,

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sections on an enlarged scale on lines 3-3 and 44, respectively, Fig. 2, showing the two difierent forms of guide plates,

Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged horizontal sections on lines 55 and t-i, respectively, of Figs. 3 and 4, respectively,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the guide plates similar to that shown in Fig. 3,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective View of the other type of guide plate such as shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the preferred form of guide, parts of the guide plates being broken away,

Fig. 10 is a View similar to Fig. 9 but showing the modified form of guide,

Fig. 11 is a vertical section on line li it, Fig. 3, showing the preferred form of guide, and illustrating also a form of filling stop motion,

Fig. 12 is a view similar to 11 but illustrating the modified form or" the invention, and

Fig. 13 is an enlarged plan view of the stopmotion shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, the loom frame 4 supports an upright 2 secured to the frame and having rotatably mounted therein a tubular shaft 3 to which are secured a plurality of spaced disk-like reed dents t forming a reed R. These dents have high beat-up areas o and low non-beat-up areas 6 and the shaft rotates at half loom speed during loom operation so that first one and then the other of the high heat-up points will push Weft to the fell F of the cloth CL. The warpis shown in two sheets Wi and W2 controlled by harness frames i and the reed dents may be of such size and shape that the warp threads always pass through some part of the reed. R.

Secured to shaft 3 are two cams it and which are conjugate and operate rolls i2 and on a cross head 54 which slides on a block rockable about the shaft 3. The cams cause reciprocation of the cross head each beat of the loom. The lower end of the cross head pivotally connected as at 55 to an arm it secured to a rock shaft ll. Secured to this shaft are guide supporting arms 18 which move from the dotted line to the full line position and then to the dotted line position shown in Fi 1 each pick. of the loom due to reciprocation or" the cross head. The arms 18 support at their upper -;is a shuttle guide means designated generally at G.

The cams cause the levers 5% to move to their full line position in Fig. 1 when the low non-beatup areas 6 of the reed dents are in the warp shed and the cams further cause the arms to move to the dotted line position in Fig. 1 so that the guide will be moved out of the warp shed to make room for the advancing high beat-up point of the reed. The reed will ordinarily turn in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in i.

The matter thus far described illustrates one type of loom in which the present invention can be used, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its use to a rotary reed. The structure shown in Fig. 1; except for the details of the guide G, may be the same as that set forth and claimed in co-pending application Serial No. 24 ,129, filed September 18, 1951, but not claimed herein.

In carrying the present invention into efiect the guide means G may be made in two forms in the preferred of which shuttle guide plates of one type are arranged in groups which alternate g) on co m l with groups of a dififerent type of shuttle guide plate. The guide means comprises a it secured to the upper ends of the levers i3 and extended across the loom and in the present instance in front of the reed. This bar 23 is preferably of rectangular cross section and has fitted over it a series of inverted channel shaped supports 2! each having a top 22 and front and back flanges 23 and 24, respectively, which are fitted closely to the top and sides, respectively, of the bar 29. Each support is held to the bar by screws 25 and the top of each support is made with transverse slots 26. All of the supports may be similar but certain of them designated at I will have the type of shuttle guide plate such as shown in Fig. 3 secured in their slots, while other of the supports designated at II will have the V other'type of shuttle guide plate 3!, as shown in Fig. 4, secured in their slots. The plates 33 and 3! are preferably metallic and may be soldered or brazed into their respective supports or held thereto in any other approved manner, and are substantially parallel and extend in a back and forth direction in the loom.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 3, the type or" plate designated at 39 has extending laterally through the upper end thereof a hole 35 which may be oblong and e :tend backwardly and forwardly and be formed at its rear end with a thread egress passage 36. Extending downwardly from the front end of the hole 35 is a warp thread receiving slot 31 having an upwardly opening mouth 38 which is forward of a shuttle and weft thread support or supporting edge 39 formed on the guide plate 36 below the guide hole 35.

The other type of guide plate 3 shown in Fig. 4., has a shuttle guide hole 46 somewhat similar to hole 35 and opening rearwardly through a thread egress passage ii. The plate 3| however is formed with a warp thread receiving slot 42 which extends downwardly from the rear end of hole is behind a shuttle and warp thread support or supporting edge 53 below the hole 40. Slot G2 has an upwardly opening mouth 4 which communicates with the hole 40.

in the preferred form of the invention supports I alternate with supports II and each of these supports is shown herein as having four guide plates secured thereto. The length of the supports it need not necessarily be as indicated herein, since if desired they can be made long enough to support more than four of their re-- spective guide plates, but in any event each support willcorrespond to a group of guide plates and the group made with guide plates 38 will have a front row A of warp thread receiving slots 3'? forward of the supporting edges 39, while the groups made of guide plates 3'! will have their warp receiving slots H2 in another row B in rearward position and behind the supporting edges Q3. The supporting edges 39 and d3 are arranged in two rows C and D in both forms of the invention.

The slots 3? and 42 will ordinarily extend downwardly at least to the bottom warp sheet or shed W2 and preferably slightly below the latter so that if upon entry oi the plates 30 and 3| into the warp shed as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, any bottom warp thread should accidentally pass through a passage 36 or M such thread can move down into the thread receiving slot and occupy its normal position.

The preferred form of the invention is shown in Fig. 11 wherein the plates as have their shuttle and weft thread supports or supporting edges 39 in position to support a Weft filling thread T corresponding to the relation of this thread to the plates 38 shown in Fig. 3. The other plates iii are shown in Fig. 11 as having their slots 3? under the thread T and therefore out of supporting position with the latter, as shown in Fig. 4. The groups of plates 39 are so placed however that the thread T will be supported by the plates to and held by them in a high enough position so that it will not fall onto the bottom warp shed 'W2. As will be understood from Figs. 5 and 6 some parts of all of the shuttle and thread supporting edges '39 and 53 are preferably aligned in a direction parallel to the guideway 45 for the shuttle defined by the aligned guide holes and 46.

In Fig. 11 there indicated a filling stop motion 58 of the usual type comprising. tines til for engagement with the weft thread T. These tines, see Fig. 13, are rockably mounted on a slide 52 and are connected to a loop 53 in which an actuator 54 is adapted to move back and forth. A knock-off lever 55 controls the loom shipper handle '56. The parts will normally be in the position shown in Fig. 13 and if a weft thread is present during the beat up it will be pushed against the tines to rock them and the loop 53 upwardly out of the path of the actuator 54. If on the other hand weft is absent the tines will not be rocked and the actuator will engage the loop 53 to move the slide 52 forwardly, thus rocking lever 55 to move the shipper handle 56 to stopping position. The filling stop motion shown in Fig. 13 is given merely as an example of mechanisms of this type and the invention is not limited in its use to this particular form of stop motion.

If all of the guide plates were the type shown at 30 then it would be possible for the filling thread T to move down through slots 3! on to the bottom warp shed W2 and there would be so much friction between the warp shed W2 and the weft thread that the latter, even though broken, would not be moved when engaged by the tines and the latter would therefore rock and give a false indication, permitting the loom to operate even though the weft thread be broken. By having the supporting edges 39 and 43 arranged as already described however a weft thread which is broken will rest on metallic surfaces which offer very little frictional resistance to the thread and when the fork 5! engages a broken thread the latter can be moved endwise readily and thus avoid a false indication at the stop motion.

In Fig. 11 the thread T is presumed to have been drawn from a stationary supply or cone E of weft and drawn into the guideway d5 by any of the known gripper types of shuttle (not shown).

The parts used in the modified form of the invention may be substantially the same as those already described except that the plates 39 and 3|, instead of being arranged in groups, will alternate with each other, as indicated in Fig. 12. The arrangements shown in Figs. 11 and 12 are not the only ones which can be used and it will be sufficient if the two types of plates are arranged so that a weft thread extending in the guideway 45 will have either all or the greater part of its length supported on the edges 39 and G3 and be out of contact with the bottom warp shed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth guide means G for a gripper shuttle wherein the guide plates 36 and 3! are of at least two kinds with respect to the disposition of their shuttle and weft thread supporting edges 39 and 43 and their warp thread receiving slots i l and d2. The supporting edges are in forward position in some of the guide plates and in rearward position in others so that a weft thread in and extending along the guideway 45 will rest on the supporting edges above the bottom warp shed W2 and be movable for tension or filling detection purposes by a very light force. The invention as set forth hereinbefore shows two rows A and B of warp receiving slots and two rows of shuttle and weft thread supports or supporting edges C and D, but the invention is not necessarily limited to two rows, although two rows will ordinarily suffice. It will also be seen that the shuttle and weft thread supporting edges overlap somewhat in a back and forth dito the guideway. The supporting edges of a row,

such as C or D, will align lengthwise of the guideway 45 with warp receiving slots, such as A or B, as the case may be, to hold the weft thread above the bottom warp shed no matter in what position the weft thread may be in a back and forth direction in the guideway.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. In a shuttle guide means for a loom operating with a stationary weft supply and a gripper shuttle to introduce weft from the supply into a warp shed, a plurality of substantially parallel guide plates having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending shuttle guiding holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle through the warp shed, each guide plate having at the bottom of the hole therethrough a shuttle and weft thread support and a warp thread receiving slot opening into the hole and extending downwardly from the support, said slots being arranged in rows located at different front and back positions transversely of said guideway, and the support corresponding to a slot in any row being aligned lengthwise of the guideway with the slots in the remainder of the rows.

2. In shuttle guide means for a loom operating with a stationary weft supply and. a gripper shuttle to introduce weft from the supply into a warp shed, a plurality of substantially parallel guide plates having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending shuttle guiding holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle through the shed, a shuttle and weft thread support on each guide plate at the bottom of the hole therethrough, each guide plate having a warp thread receiving slot therein extending downwardly from the hole and the associated support of the guide plate, said slots being arranged in two rows, one row being arranged along the rear part of the guideway and the other row being arranged along the front part of the guideway, and the support of a guide plate the slot of which is in one of said rows being aligned lengthwise of the guideway with the slots of the other row.

3. In shuttle guide means for a loom operat ing with a stationary weft supply and a gripper shuttle to introduce weft from the supply into a warp shed, a plurality of guide plates substantially parallel to the warp threads having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending shuttle guiding holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle through the shed, a shuttle and weft thread support on each guide plate at the bottom of the hole in the plate, each guide plate having a warp thread receiving slot extending downwardly from the hole therein and opening upwardly into the hole adjacent to the associated support, certain of said slots being at the rear part of their associated holes and other of the slots being at the front part of their associated holes and the support of each guide plate being aligned lengthwise of the guideway with the slots of certain other of said guide plates.

4. In shuttle guide means for a loom operating with a stationary weft supply and a gripper shuttle to introduce Weft from the supply into a warp shed, a plurality of guide plates having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending guide holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle through the shed, each guide plate having a shuttle and weft thread supporting edge on the underside of the guide hole therethrough;

and each guide plate having a downwardly extending warp thread receiving slot opening upwardly into the hole therein adjacent to the supporting edge thereof and the slots of certain of said guide plates aligning in a direction parallel to said guideway with the supporting edges of other of said guide plate to the end that a weft thread extending through said guideway will be over supporting edges of some of the guide plates although lying over the slots of certain of the other guide plates.

5. In shuttle guide means for a loom operating with a stationary weft supply and a gripper shuttle to introduce Weft from the supply into a warp shed, a plurality of guide plates having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending guide holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle through the shed, each guide plate having a shuttle and. weft thread supporting edge on the underside of the guide hole therethrough and having also a warp thread receiving slot below said hole having a thread receiving mouth opening upwardly into the hole adjacent to the supporting edge, the mouths of the slots in certain of said guide plates aligning in a direction parallel to said guideway with the supporting edges of other of said guide plates.

6. In shuttle guide means for a loom operating with a stationary weft supply and a gripper shuttle to introduce weft from the supply into a warp shed between sheets of warp threads, a plurality of guide plates having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending guide holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle through the shed, each guide plate having a shuttle and weft thread supporting edge above the bottom warp shed on the underside of the hole therein, and each guide plate having a warp thread receiving slot opening into the hole therein extending downwardly from the supporting edge thereof at least to the bottom sheet of Warp threads, the supporting edges of certain of the guide plates being located at'the rear part of the holes corresponding thereto and the supporting edges of other of the guide plates being located at the front part of the holes corresponding thereto and the supporting edges being effective to hold a weft thread extending through said guideway' 8. rality of guide plates having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending guide holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle through the shed, each guide plate having a shuttle and weft thread supporting edge below the hole therein aligned in a back and forth direction with a Warp thread receiving mouth of a slot opening upwardly into the hole and extending down at least to the bottom sheet of warp threads, the supporting edges of some at least of the guide plates aligning in a direction parallel to said guideway with the mouths in other of the guide plates.

8. In shuttle guide means fora loom operating with a stationary weft supply and a gripper shuttle to introduce weft from the supply into a warp shed, a plurality of guide plates having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending guide holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle through the shed, said guide plates being arranged in groups along the guideway, each guide plate in certain of said groups having a shuttle and weft thread supporting edge under the forward part of the hole in the guide plate and a downwardly extending warp thread receiving slot under the rearward part of the hole, and

each guide plate in other of said groups having a shuttle and weft thread supporting edge under the rearward part of the hole therein and a downwardly extending Warp thread receiving slot under the forward part of the hole, the guide plates of said certain groups having parts of their supporting edges aligned in a direction parallel to said guideway with the slots in the guide lates of said other groups.

9. In shuttle guide means for a loom operating with a stationary weft supply and a gripper shuttle to introduce weft from the supply between upper and lower warp sheds, a plurality of guide plates having aligned backwardly and forwardly extending guide holes therein defining a guideway for the shuttle between the warp sheds, each guide plate having a shuttle and weft thread supporting edge below the hole therein aligned in a back and forth direction with a warp thread receiving mouth of a slot opening upwardly into the hole and extending down at least to the bottom warp shed, some of said supporting edges being forward of and other of the supporting edges being rearward of their corresponding slots and parts of all of the supporting edges being aligned in a direction parallel to said guideway.

No references cited. 

